Checking in on some former Michigan Football fan favorites

From the football field to LinkedIn. This offseason, we are checking in on what some of the former fan favorites for the Michigan Wolverines are doing now that their playing careers may be over.

It’s become a joke and a cliche for fans to take shots at college athletes for going from the gridiron to LinkedIn to find their next career. However, this is a shun that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Most athletes get a free ride, get a shot at the next level in some capacity, and then start eons ahead of most of their peers who went the college route with no student loan debt. Now, they’re getting paid in school, too, so who really has the last laugh?

Today, we’re celebrating a couple of former Michigan Wolverines who have hung up the cleats and called it a career, finding success off the field in a variety of pathways. Here are some of the things that your past favorite Michigan Men are up to now that their playing days have come to a close:

FB/DL/TE Ben Mason (2017-20)

Everyone, and I mean everyone, loved Ben Mason, and Ben Mason loves football. He did just about everything for the Wolverines — he had seven rushing touchdowns in 2018 as a fullback, and then shifted to the defensive line where he was a rotational piece in 2019. He played tight end and caught a touchdown pass in 2020.

After being drafted in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, Mason had a four-year career with opportunities with the Chargers, Bears and Patriots. In 2024, he took a coaching position as an offensive analyst with Army-West Point. That opened the door for his current opportunity as the co-special teams coordinator at Ithaca College. He will also coach running backs and tight ends.

Edge Chase Winnovich (2015-18)

The heart and soul of the Wolverines in Jim Harbaugh’s early days with the program was Chase Winovich. He became a voice in the Michigan locker room as an upperclassman, specifically his senior year, when he tagged their midseason run “The Revenge Tour” with wins over Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State.

Postgame interviews with Wino were legendary.

Winovich went in the third round to the New England Patriots of the 2018 draft, where he had 11 sacks in his first two seasons with the team. He finished his rookie contract with the Pats, went to Cleveland for a season, and then played his final season in 2023 with the Miami Dolphins.

Now, Winovich has started his own company, Signet Signing, an e-signature app for athletes, artists and entrepreneurs with patent-pending QR code technology. The goal is to simplify the signing and execution of contracts on your mobile devices, with a specific focus on NDAs.

WR Jehu Chesson (2013-16)

Jehu Chesson was one of the top wide receivers during his time in college, leading the team with 764 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2015. What helped was a game in November where he tied the Michigan record with four receiving touchdowns and had 207 yards. It was one of the best performances by a receiver in program history.

He played one year with the Kansas City Chiefs after being picked in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and then played in 12 games for Washington the year after. He was also on the Jets’ practice squad in 2021. In three seasons, Chesson had three catches for 25 yards.

Now that his football career is over, Chesson co-founded the Holden Cabin Company. They specialize in pre-engineered mass timber cabins, homes and other residential units. Their goal is to streamline the construction process using environmentally-friendly materials to build efficient and sustainable structures.

To help with the leadership of the company, Chesson is a fellow in The Trust, an NFLPA project that provides support and resources to transitioning football players for post-football career success.

RB Karan Higdon (2015-18)

In consecutive seasons, Karan Higdon had more than 1,000 scrimmage yards for the Michigan Wolverines . As a key piece of the offense, Higdon ran for more than 100 yards in seven straight games, all wins, in 2018.

Higdon was added to the Houston Texans following the 2019 NFL Draft. He was on their practice squad until Sept. 2020, when he was waived.

Staying in Houston, Higdon became an account manager for Vikor Scientific, starting a career in medical sales. But for the last two years, he has served as the marketing director at ISA Associates, a full-service, in-house marketing solution that builds social media campaigns, and creates websites and branding strategies for businesses.

LB Shawn Crable (2005-07)

In Lloyd Carr’s final season, Shawn Crable was one of the most dominant players in the Big Ten. He led the conference with 29 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and 90 tackles.

Because of his success and massive 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame, Crable was selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Patriots. Injuries kept him off the field for most of the first two seasons of his career, and the Pats eventually placed him on the PUP list. He joined the Jets’ practice squad later in 2020, but his career ended after just six NFL games.

Then, he began his career in the non-profit sector. He served as a supervisor and then the director of outreach and parent education at an early childhood resource center in Canton, Ohio. He was there for nearly 10 years before becoming the COO at Siffrin Inc., a non-profit organization that empowers people with disabilities. After briefly serving as the director of resident services at the Akron Housing Authority, Crable became the Vice President for NFL Alumni in the NFLPA’s Cleveland Chapter, where he still serves today.